Symbol stamp

ABSTRACT

An ink stamp useful in producing technical and informational drawings. The stamp consists of a backing member, which an operator holds to use the stamp, and a printing face. A symbol that includes connector lines whose ends are marked by indicia proximate to the edges of the backing member, is formed in relief on the printing face, and the indicia identifying the ends of the connector lines are scribed so as to be easily viewed from above the stamp or from the side thereof.

United States Patent 1 1 Robertson 'Mar; 5, 1974 SYMBOL STAMP 209,174 6/1938 Switzerland... 33/l84.6 [76] Inventor: Bruce w. Robertson, 7342 South 27,404 v 6/1930 Australia [01/399 1540 East, Salt Lake City, Utah [22] Filed: Dec. 26, 1972 Primary Examiner-Clyde l. Coughenour [2l] Appl. No: 318,548

52 us. (:1 101/368, 33/184 1'01/405 57 ABSTRACT [51] Int. Cl B4lk 1/06, B4lk l/56 Field of Search 101/28, 363, 405, An ink stamp useful in producing technical and infor- 184-6 mational drawings. The stamp consists of a backing member, which an operator holds to use the stamp, References Cited and a printing face. A symbol that includes connector UNITED STATES PATENTS lines whose ends are marked by indicia proximate to 743,762 11 1903 Shea 33 1846 x the edges of the backing membfi, is formed in relief 3,408,932 11/1968 MUCCi 101/368 on the p g face, and the indicia identifying the 3,096,713 7/1963 McLaughlin.... 33/1846 X ends of the connector lines are scribed so as to be eas- 600,239 3/1898 Smith et a] 33/184.6 ily viewed from above the stamp or from the side 1,249,417 12 1917 Kennedy et al 101 368 th f FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 6,258 1909 Great Britain 33/189 1 Claim, 2 Drawing Figures 1 SYMBOL STAMP BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to ink stamps and is particularly related to such stamps having symbols thereon that are commonly used by engineers, business planners or the like.

2. Prior Art Stamps have long been used for printing purposes. They have provided a simple and inexpensive way to produce an inked message or symbol on a printing surface. U.S. Pat. No. 2,970,539, for example, like the present invention, shows a stamp configured to reproduce symbols or designs common to a field of endeavor, such as engineering, for use in making technical and informational drawings. The aforesaid patent involves a flexible stamp surface bonded to a transparent block through which block a user is intended to look so as to align the stamp with existing lines or symbols on a printing surface prior to application of the stamp surface thereto. Accurate placement of such a stamp of course requires that the transparent block be essentially flawlessly transparent and that the block surfaces be kept clean. Such a transparent block is of course expensive and must be carefully cared for to insure that the block surfaces continue to accurately transmit light therethrou'gh. The present invention, un like the stamp of the aforesaid patent, provides indicia arranged proximate to the edges of the stamp backing member, which indicia are used to align the stamp symbol and connecting lines radiating therefrom with existing symbols on the printing sheet prior to application of the stamp surface thereto.

Any inexpensive material, such as a block of wood or the like, can therefore be used as the backing member of the present invention. The stamp of the present invention can therefore be produced more easily and economically than can the stamp of the aforesaid patent.

Additional to the prohibitive expense of providing a clear transparent backing member as called for in the above cited patent, the stamp of the aforesaid patent lacks the versatility of the stamp of the present invention in that it does not provide connecting lines as extensions of the stamp symbol as does the present invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is a principal object of the present invention to provide an inexpensive stamp for use in printing symbols commonly used in a certain trade or profession on a printing surface. v

Another object is to provide a symbol stamp that includes, in relief, connecting lines radiating from the particular symbol for connection with appropriate lines scribed on a printing surface, the ends of which connecting lines extend to the edge of the stamp, with indicia markings pointing to the individual ends of particu lar connecting lines.

Principal features of the present invention include an ink holding printing surface of a symbol formed in relief, preferably of rubber or the like, that is secured to a solid backing member. The printing surface is intended to have ink applied thereon and be pressed against a particular printing surfge to transfer the particular symbol onto the printing surface. As part of the transfer surface, also in relief, connector lines are arranged to radiate outwardly from the particular symbol, terminating at or proximate to the stamp edge. The connector lines could represent electrical wires, plumbing pipes, or the like.

The ink holding printing surface is in turn secured to a rigid backing member, such as a block of wood, which backing member provides a gripping surface to be held by the fingers of an operator. A pictorial representation of the symbol and connecting lines is preferably arranged on the face of the backing member opposite to the face thereof on which the symbol is secured. The pictorial representation is used to align the symbol with other data on a particular printing sheet. Additionally, indicia marking are arranged on the sides of the backing member, or as the top surfaces of the connecting line ends that extend past the plane of the backing member side. The indicia markings provide guides for exactly aligning the symbol connecting lines with lines on the printing sheet.

Additional objects and features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description and drawings, disclosing what is presently contemplated as being best modes of the invention.

THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view looking up on the symbol stamp of the present invention shown mounted to the bottom of a rectangular block backing member; and

FIG. 2, a perspective view taken from the top of the backing member of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring now to the drawings:

In the illustrated preferred embodiment of the ink stamp 10 of the present invention, shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the ink stamp consists of a stamp head .11, having a symbol 12, shown herein as a conventional electronic symbol, formed thereon in raised relief. Shown also on the stamp head 11 are connector lines 13, 1411, Mb, and 14d, that are also formed thereon in raised relief, which extend from slightly beyond the edges of the backing member 15 to the symbol 12. The connector lines I3, 14a, 14b, 14c and 14a are shown to extend slightly beyond the stamp head 11 at ends 13a, 17a, 17b, 17c, and 17d thereof, which connector line ends are beveled inwardly and upwardly to contact the lower edges ofa rectangular shaped backing member 15. The backing member 15 preferably consists of a block of wood, or other essentially rigid material, having the stamp head and connecting lines secured to one end 'lSa thereof. A pictorial representation 16 of the particular symbol and connecting lines is arranged on the backing member opposite end 15b. 7

The pictorial representation 16 is intended to exactly represent the symbol 12 to enable a user to properly align and position the stamp within existing line structure on a printing surface, not shown. To facilitate closely, aligning the connecting line ends 13a, 17a, 17b, 17c and 17d to such existing line structures, markings l8, pointing to the connecting line ends, are arranged along the inwardly slanting surface between the line ends and the backing member 15 lower edges. Markings 18 of course, serve as reference marks that an operator sights with to lay the stamp head 11 onto a printing surface thereby positioning the symbol connecting lines over existing lines of the printing surface, not shown.

ln operation, an operator holding the stamp by the backing member 15, applies printing ink over the surface of the stamp head 11. This is most easily accomplished by pressing the stamp head surface onto an ink pad. Using the pictorial representation 16 to guide the positioning of the symbol 12 and connecting lines 13, 14a, 14b, 14c and 14d, the operator aligns the stamp 10 with existing line structure on a printing surface, not shown. The operator then fine aligns the connecting line ends 13a, 17a, 17b, 17c, and 17d, using the markings 18, with the existing line structure, and lowers the stamp 10 onto the printing surface. Pressure sufficient to transfer the ink on the stamp head 11 to the printing surface, not shown, is then applied to the backing member 15, after which the stamp is removed from the printing surface.

Optionally, another arrangement of connecting lines shown as 19a, 19b, and 19c, FIGS. 1 and 2, arearranged to extend from the symbol 12 and end along the lower edge of the side c of backing member 15. In this arrangement of connecting lines, the line ends do not extend past the plane of the backing member side 150 as do the ends 13a, 17a, 17b, 17c and 17d of the connector lines 13, 14a, 14b, 14c and 14d. Markings are therefore required on the lower edge of the backing member side 15c to identify the locations of the line ends. Markings 20, formed as inverted triangles having the apexes thereof pointing to the location of the ends of lines 19a, 19b, and 19c, are shown as preferred forms of such markings. Pictorial representations 21 arranged on the top of backing member 15 alongside pictorial representation 16, are included to enable an operator to locate the stamp head 11 properly on the printing sheet, not shown. Use of the stamp 10 having connector lines 19a, 19b, and 19c, thereon, is like that described for stamp 10 having connector lines 13, 14a, 14b, 14c, and 14d.

The arrangement of stamp 10 with connector lines 19a, 19b, and 19c, of course, facilitates the packing of a number of such stamps together, with the backing member sides thereof fitting closely with other backing member sides. Also, the flush line end configuration al lows a number of stamps 10 to be maintained together, the connecting lines of one intersecting the connecting lines of another, such that the group of stamps can be simultaneously movedv into contact with a printing surface to form a chain or connected grouping of symbols thereon.

Additionally, a soft elastic backing surface, not shown, can be arranged between the stamp head 11 and the end 15a of the backing member 15. Such a surface may be formed from a soft rubber or the like as a cushion for dampening excessive pressure applied symbol and at least one connecting line extendingfrom said symbol;

a backing member havinga flat surface to which is secured the surface of said stamp head that is opposite to said relief image;

a pictorial representation of said particular symbol and connection line arranged on the backing member surface that is opposite to said stamp head; and

indicia means for indicating the location of the end of said connection line when said stamp head is in contact with a surface, said indicia means comprising a projecting portion of the stamp head for each connecting line, said projecting portion extending outwardly of the backing member and having the connecting line extending to the edge of such projecting portion, a bevelled member for each projecting portion of the stamp head fixed to said backing member and extending outwardly there from to provide support for such stamp head, said bevelled portion terminating at the outermost end of the connecting line, and a marking on the bevelled member pointing to the junction of the bevelled member and the backing member at the end of the connecting line. 

1. A symbol stamp comprising a stamp head having a relief image of a particular symbol and at least one connecting line extending from said symbol; a backing member having a flat surface to which is secured the surface of said stamp head that is opposite to said relief image; a pictorial representation of said particular symbol and connection line arranged on the backing member surface that is opposite to said stamp head; and indicia means for indicating the location of the end of said connection line when said stamp head is in contact with a surface, said indicia means comprising a projecting portion of the stamp head for each connecting line, said projecting portion extending outwardly of the backing member and having the connecting line extending to the edge of such projecting portion, a bevelled member for each projecting portion of the stamp head fixed to said backing member and extending outwardLy therefrom to provide support for such stamp head, said bevelled portion terminating at the outermost end of the connecting line, and a marking on the bevelled member pointing to the junction of the bevelled member and the backing member at the end of the connecting line. 